Social media has had a huge impact on the fashion industry. In the past few years, brands have used the opportunity offered by social media to reach a variety of audience groups. Interestingly, social media platforms also allow for targeted approach allowing brands to reach out to “Addressable Audiences”. What does this mean for the future of fashion? In this blog we delve into the influence of social media on the fashion industry and provide ways and examples highlighting how brands effectively engage with their customers in the evolving landscape of new-age media.
CASE STUDY
ZARA
Zara, a global fashion brand is very well attuned to consumer trends in my opinion. their Instagram handle is a great example of this. Here is an example of this:
ZARA’s Instagram handle, which currently has 61 million followers, is not just a brand showcase but a storyboard in itself. Their collections are intertwined with personal stories. For example, last month in September, they introduced a collection called “Zara Steven Meisel New York”. The collection is inspired by a photographer who dedicates series of images in black & white as a tribute to his hometown. These intricate details makes ZARA relevant and creates a sense of intrigue and excitement for its fans and followers.
Social media & The Fashion industry
The Role of Social Media Campaign in the Fashion Industry
Social Media campaigns allow brands to create a two-way communication with the audience. Furthermore, it allows brands to establish relationships with consumers through various tactical and brand campaigns on social media. For example, Marc by Marc Jacobs used social media for a worldwide model producing to demonstrate their new line. Marc used many models from Instagram that had the hash-tag #Marc and the campaign had almost 70,000 participants from around the world.
Social Media Advertising
The fashion industry is using social media channels to reach out to clients on an emotional level in order to enhance interaction with brand images and messages. This is common for most international fashion brands, be it high-street such as Dior, Gucci and Armani or fast-fashion such as H&M, Uniqlo or Levi’s.
Influencer Marketing
Companies exploit key opinion leaders such as celebrities for their popularity, and social position to sell their goods, like Tommy Hilfiger did when embracing social media into one of their marketing strategies, making Gigi Hadid a brand ambassador. As a consequence, they had unprecedented growth of social media followers.
Influencer Marketing for Fashion Brands can take various forms, depending on a brand and its long-term objectives. The more creative the approach, the more a campaign will distinguish itself, resulting in positive outcomes such as increased social followers, engagement, and brand sales.
Below are two ways in which fashion brands can use influencer marketing to promote/sell their brand:
- Product Showcasing: One of the most commonly employed strategies in fashion influencer marketing is providing influencers with products, allowing them to style and feature them in their blogs, social media posts and stories.
- Boost Sales with Affiliate Links: Ensure the success of an upcoming sales event by having influencers promote it on social media, where they can highlight their favorite products. By utilizing affiliate links, influencers can earn commissions for each sale, incentivizing them to attract new customers to your brand.
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MOST POPULAR FASHION BRAND ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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MOST POPULAR FASHION BRAND ON SOCIAL MEDIA
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MOST POPULAR FASHION BRAND ON SOCIAL MEDIA
REFRENCESES
- Criales-Unzueta, J. (2023) From his camera to your closet-Steven Meisel teams up with Zara for a new collection, Vogue. Available at: https://www.vogue.com/article/steven-meisel-zara-collaboration-collection (Accessed: 05 October 2023).
- Kiron, M.I. (2023). Influence of Internet and Social Media on Fashion Industry. [online] Textile Learner. Available at: https://textilelearner.net/influence-of-internet-and-social-media-on-fashion-industry/.
- M, S. and K, S. (2017). Impact of Influencers in Consumer Decision Process : the Fashion Industry. [online] http://www.semanticscholar.org. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1469/eccb29f76b24e85cba8b6b60adf5ab4932d8.pdf.
- Nike Logo Stock Illustrations – 219 Nike Logo Stock Illustrations, Vectors & Clipart – Dreamstime. (n.d.). Nike Logo Stock Illustrations – 219 Nike Logo Stock Illustrations, Vectors & Clipart – Dreamstime. [online] Available at: https://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/nike-logo.html.
- Socarras, I. (2016). Gigi Hadid is Tommy Hilfiger’s ‘The Girl’. [online] The Perfume Society. Available at: https://perfumesociety.org/tommythegirl/ [Accessed 1 Oct. 2023].
- Tsvetkova, R. (2022). A Guide to Influencer Marketing in the Fashion Industry. [online] Brandwatch. Available at: https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/guide-to-influencer-marketing-in-fashion-industry/.
- Wikipedia. (2023). Social media in the fashion industry. [online] Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_media_in_the_fashion_industry#Fashion_campaigns [Accessed 1 Oct. 2023].
- Wikipedia Contributors (2019). User-generated content. [online] Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User-generated_content.
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